Machine for surfacing plates or sheets.



PATENTED OCT. 6, 1903.

. P. s. BROGKETT. MACHINE FOR SURFACING PLATES 0R SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1900 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENT'BD 001". a, 1903.

F. s. BROCKETT- I MACHINE FOR SURFAGING PLATES 0R SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1900.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F0 MODEL.

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THE spams mzns tapmm-u'ma, WASHINGTON. a. c.

- PATENTED OCT. 6, 1903.

'P.S.BB0GKETT. MACHINE FOR SURPAC-ING PLATES 0R SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. '12, 1900.

3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

N0 MODEL.

I INVENTOR 51M Tm: mums PETERK ca. PHOTD-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. a. c,

UNITED STATES.

Patented October 6, 1903;

PATENT FFICE.

MACHINE FOR SURFACING PLATES OR SHEETS;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,001, dated October6, 1903. Application filed September 12, 1900. Serial No. 29,801. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, FRANK SHELTON BROOK- ETT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements inMachines for Surfacing Plates or Sheets, of which the following is aspecification.

In the accompanying drawings, which make part of'this specification,Figure I is a plan view of the general arrangement of the glass-plategrinding, smoothing, or polishing devices. Fig. II is a vertical endsection on line II II of Fig. I. Fig. III is a detail side elevation online III III of Fig. I. Fig. IV is an end view of the columns supportinggrinding device and showing the runner in vertical cross-section. Fig. Vis a detail side elevation, partly in section, of a runner, showing thepolishing-blocks.

Heretofore in the manufacture of plateglass after the sheets have comefrom the leers they are taken to the grinding depart ment, then to therubbing-frames, then to the polishing department, then trimmed and putin the racks.

More specifically, the manipulation of the sheets has been thus: When asheet comes to the grinding department, it is embedded in' plaster, soas to be held firm while acted on.

by the grinder. The grinder is a disk having a series of runners. on theunder side adapted by the use of suitable abrasives to grind and smooththe surface of the plate. These grinders are of great weight, being oflarge diameter, and require expensive foundations and must run at a slowspeed. After the plate is ground with coarse sand the sand is Washed offand finer sand fed in, and so on down through various grades of finenessof sand and subsequently of emery. After one side of the plate has thusbeen ground and smoothed the plate is taken out of the plaster, turnedover, relaid in plaster, and similar work done on-the other side by thesame grinder and at the same bench. In these operations a plate whichwas cast one-half an inch thick is brought down to a quarter-inchthickness before it is taken from the first bench to what is known asthe rubbingframes department. In the rubbing-frames one side of theplate is rubbed or cleaned to permit of a careful inspection for ventsoi nicks, as it would be dangerous to handle the thin plate with suchdefectson its edge, as in carrying the plate such vents would startcracks which might shatter the sheet. The plate is then turned over andthe other side similarly cleaned and scrutinized. All four sides of theplate are then trimmed, the trim ming extending from an inch in width inward, depending on the condition of the edges. The plate nowgoes to athird department, called the polishing department. The polishers, aswell as the grinders, are also of great size, as theymust reach in theirmovements from end to end, as well as from side to side, of the sheet.Here itis again laid in plaster under the polisher and polished on oneside by felt blocks. After one side is polished the plate is freed fromthe plaster, turned over, reset in the plaster, and the other sidelikewise polished. The plate is then removed from the plaster,retrimmed, and put in the racks. This method'of operation just outlinedrequires three crewsone at the grinder, one at the rubbing-frames, andone at the polishing department. Furthermore, at least six handlings ofthe plate are involved, most of which are performed after the plate-hasbeen reduced to a quarter-inch in thickness. The system thus outlined isunsatisfactory for the following reasons, among others First, the greatsize and weight of the grinders make them very expensive themselves andthey also require heavy and costly foundations; second, the size andweight of the grinders keep down the output, since the grinders cannotbe speeded up; third, the labor cost, owing to the repeated haudlingsand embedding of the plate, isexcessive; fourth, the numerous handlingsincrease greatly the percentage of breakage, and especially upon thelargest sheets, which are the most valuable; fifth,

the repeated handlings necessitate a preliminary as Well as a finaltrimming; sixth, the operation is not continuous in any proper sense.

I propose by myinvention to minimize some of the foregoing disadvantagesand abolisl others, or, to be more specific, I provide a series of lightweight consecutive grinders smoothers, or polishers which may be run ata high speed, thus multiplying the output and reducing cost of grindersand foundations. I reduce the labor bill about one-half, requiring onlytwo crews, reduce the handlings to one-third the number ordinarilyrequired and the percentage of breakage in the same ratio, set the platetwice only instead of four times in plaster, trim once only, and makethe process continuous from the leers to the racks. In accomplishingthese results I prefer to use the following mechanism:

1 1 are columns resting on piers 2 2. These columns are connectedtogether in pairs by girders 3 3, forming a series of stationarysupports for the vertical shafts 4 4. Said shafts have their verticalhearings in quarter-boxes 4 4. and horizontal bearings by means ofconical collars 4 4 revolving on the clutcharms 5 5 of thefriction-lever 5. Bolted to girder 3 3 are forked bearing-blocks 5 5 5 5are pins securing blocks 55 to forked blocks 5 5 and act as the fulcrumsfor said levers. Loosely connected to the outer ends of levers 5 5 areforked bars 5 5. These bars are also connected to the upper ends of bars6 6. They form the swivel connection between said levers 5 5 and bars 66. 6 and 6 are vertical bearings for bar 6, and male threads 6 areformed on the lower ends of bars (3 6. Wheels 6 6 have correspondingfemale threads which engage the male threads 6 6. By revolving thewheels 6 6 to the right they would bear against the bearings 6 6 causingthe bars 6 6 to pull down on the outer ends of levers 5 5, and throughpins 5 raise the clutch-arms 5 5, imparting a vertical lift on theshafts 44. These raising and lowering devices are very useful inregulating the amount of friction required by the runners on the plates.

7 7 are the frames of the runners used in the grinders 41 41 41 41 andsmoothers 42 42 and 42 42. These runners have oak planks 9 9 or theirequivalents bolted to the under side of the flanged projections 8 8.Runnerbars 10 10 are secured to the bottoms of the oak planks 9 9. Theserunner-bars haveserrated faces 11 11.

12 12 are openings through the center of the runners.

13 13 are conveyers for the grinding material, which fiows through theopenings 12 12 upon the plates and into the serrations 11 11, causing awearing away of the roughened surfaces of the plates. Plates 15 15 areattached to tables 14 14, preferably by means of plastic cement 16 16.

17 17 are carriages mounted on the trucks 17 17. Wheels 18 18 are housedin suitable bearings on said trucks.

19 19 are tracks located under the runners and over which the tables 1414 are moved. There are various means by which the tables 14 14 can bemoved under the runners in a contin ued succession. Preferably I showthe tables 14 14 mounted on wheeled carriages 17 17, receiving theirmotive power bymeans of endless cables 39 and 39', revolving under thetrucks of the carriages 17 17 and between the pits 21 and 44. Thecarriages 17 17 are connected to the cables 39 and 39 by means of grips4O 40.

2O 20 are couplings for connecting together the carriages 17 17.

21 and 44 are pits in which pit-cars 23 and 45 move in a transversedirection to the line of travel of carriages 17 17.

24 24 are motors supplying power to the runners by means of pulleywheels25 25, belts 26 26, pulleys 27 27, shafts 28 28, pulleys 29 29, belts 3030, pulleys 31 31, and vertical shafts 4 4.

In the series ofpolishers 43 43 and 43 43' are shown runners 32 32,connected to the ends of shafts 33 33. As shown in Fig. V, said runnersare constructed of an open ribbed frame 34. Connected to the outer rimof the runners 32 32 by means of rotating shafts 35 35 arepolishing-blocks 36 36. These blocks are rigidly secured to shafts 35 35and have stretched across their faces squares of felt 37 37. Said feltpartly covers the sides of the polishing-blocks 36 36 and is retained inposition by means of wedging-rings 38 38.

By referring to Fig. I the general plan of arranging preferably therunners, carriages, and transverse ways is shown. At the position markedLaying carriage 17 would rest on pit-car and the operation of securing acrude sheet of glass 15 orlike material on the table 14 be performed.Pit-car 45 is then pushed to'a line with track 19 and carriage 17 ismoved off of said car to track 19. The operator then attaches the grip40 to cable 39, which moves carriage 17, carrying plate 15, forwardcontinuously first under the horizontal rotating grinders 41. Thesegrinders are supplied with a mixture of coarse sand and water fromconveyers 13 13. While the plates are passing under the grinders 41 therougher portions of the serrated face exposed are removed.

42 represents a series of smoothers under which the plate next passes.These smoothers 42 are supplied with a mixture of fine sand, emery, andwater through like conveyors 13 13. The plate after passing from underthe operation of the smoothers 42 passes under the polishers 43. Amixture of rouge and water is supplied to the polishers 43. Thesepolishers give the final or desired polish or finish to the sideof theplate exposed. After the plate 15 has passed from under the polishers 43grip 40 is released from cable 39. Pit-car 23 is then moved in a linewith track 19 and carriage 17 is pushed onto said car.

At the position marked Turning and relaying the pit-car 23 is stoppedand plate 15 is detached from table 14, turned over, and relaid on thetable 14 with the finished side down. Pit-car 23 is then pushed to track19. Carriage 17 is transferred to track 19 and grip 40 attached to cable39, which moves IOt the carriage 17, carrying plate 15,, forward andunder the grinders 41, smoothers 42', and polishers 43, where theoperations are similar to the action on the reverse side of the plate 15by the grinders 41, smoothers 42, and polishers 43. The plate being nowfinished, grip is released from cable 39 and the carriage l7 moved ontopit-car 45, and said car is pushed to position marked Stripping, wherethe plate 15 is detached and lifted from the table 14. The plateis thenprepared for storing or shipping. Pit-car 45, carrying carriage 17 ,ispushed to the first position,marked Laying, and the formeroperationsrepeated.

In Fig. III, I show more clearly the arrangement of the tables in aconnected series. Preferably a sufficient number of carriages 17 17 areprovided to form a continuous line in tandem of tables 14 14. When theplant would be first put into operation, these carriages would receivethe plates 15 15 while on track 46 and be transferred to track 19 bycrossing pit-car 45; but after the required quota of carriages 17 17were on the tracks 19 and 19,, the transferring back to the layingposition from the stripping position would be similar to the describedmoving of the single carriage 17. The first carriage transferred fromtrack 46 to track 19 would be attached to the cable 39 by means of grip40, and the following carriages 17 17 would be also at tached to thecable and coupled together,

preferably by means of the couplings 20 20, to the preceding carriage,although each carriage could be independent of the others. The openspaces between the plates 15 15 at the end of the tables 14: 14 arefilled with a plastic cement 47 47, flush with the tops of the plates,so that an uninterrupted surface is exposed to the runners. While theendless cable 39 is moving the tables forward under the runners theoperations of grinding, smoothing, and polishing the glass are as beforedescribed. The unbroken surface presented to the runners increases thequantity of plate being operated on, lessens the cost of handling, andexpedites the output.

In the drawings and description of the operative mechanism shown abovethe tables are referred to as preferable in illustrating successfulmeans for grinding, smoothing, or polishing plates by arranging rotatingrunners in a line with the continuous movement of the plate in onedirection. To those skilled 1 in this art various movements wouldsuggest themselves, such as lateral, reciprocating, rocking, oruniversal, oscillating or non-rotary runners having a transverse orforward ora transverse and forward movement; but such means would beapplicable to and form a part of my invention when used in connectionwith the continuous movement of the plate in one direction.

Having described my invention, claim is 1. In a plant forsnrfacingsheets, the combination of two tracks, a series of runnersmounted above each of said tracks, cross connections between saidtracks, and cars mounted on the main tracks and the cross connections.

2. In a mill design for surfacing sheets, the combination of two tracks,a series of runners mounted above each of said tracks, cars adapted torun upon said tracks, sunken crosstracks connecting the two aforesaidtracks and provided with cars adapted to receive and transfer the carsfrom one to the other of said first-mentioned tracks.

what I Signed at Pittsburg this 5th day of September, 1900.

FRANK SI-IELTON BROCKETT.

W'itnesses:

GEORGE IL HARVEY, M. W. GAsKEY.

